The Shroud of Turin: A Masterpiece of Leonardo Da Vinci?

To most people who have come to understand Leonardo da Vinci, he personifies all that is artistic, including his most famous work, the Mona Lisa.

Born in 1452 as a illegitimate son, Leonardo was a man who wore many hats: He was a scientist, mathematician, engineer, inventor, anatomist, painter, sculptor, architect, musician, and writer.

Such were his immerse talents, that up until recently, most people regarded the Shroud of Turin as a real artifact of Jesus the messiah. New evidence and exposure against the Turin shroud has since pointed the artifact as no more than the work of Leonardo’s ingenuity.

Leonardo: Living on the Edge

Leonardo lived in the time of the inquisition, and given his lifestyle, it must have been his genius that prevented him from being persecuted by the church. Leonardo was a gay and a vegetarian, charges that could earn him a place at the stake.

Apparently, the Catholic Church had a use for him, and who wouldn't, considering his vast arrays of talent? Perhaps this tolerance towards what was deem hedonistic and demonic helped keep him away from the Inquisitor’s sword.

Leonardo's Wealthy connections

Leonardo served a host of wealthy Renaissance patrons, including Giuliano de Medici, son-in-law of the Duke of Savoy.

These connections were powerful ones, as they had ties with the powerful Catholic Church. In 1492, at the request of Pope Innocent VIII, the House of Savoy was tasked with creating a shroud, probably to appease pious members of the Catholic Church. With Leonardo under the employ of the House of Savoy, Leonardo was tasked with creating a shroud, using what scientists today describe as the "earliest form of photography".

Legend of The Shroud

According to Catholic doctrine, after Jesus was crucified, his body was wrapped in a shroud, before he ascended to heaven. The image of Jesus was reputed to have been imprinted on the shroud.

Discrepancies of the Shroud

For many years, researchers and scholars have doubted the authenticity of the Turin Shroud, due to many discrepancies.

• The figure on the shroud had a huge frame: 6'8" at front, 6'10" at the back.

• The head, in relation to the body, is too small. What is more, the head is displaced upwards.

• The face is too thin, the forehead and sides of the face seems foreshortened, and ears cannot be seen.

• The right arm is too long.

• There is a light circle on the nose.

• The back of the head wider than the front of head.

• The image area is oxidized and dehydrated.

• The subject’s hair hangs on his shoulders vertically.

• The expression on the figure's face is too serene to belong to a tortured prisoner.

Ancient Photography at Work?

These inconsistencies indicate that the Shroud of Turin is most likely the work of a hoax. However, no painter could ever hope to pain the shroud in such a 3-D form. So, how did Leonardo did it?

It is likely that Leonardo used some form of ancient photography to imprint his very own image on the shroud. He would have invented some form of pinhole camera that would capture his image on the shroud, and using probably his blood, he added stains on the hands to indicate Jesus's nailed hands.

Leonardo da Vinci's Last Laugh?

When one looks at the shroud, one would not help notice that the figure had his hands covering his genitals, which is an oddity, since prisoners who were crucified usually had loin clothes around their waists.

This may be a sign of a cryptic joke, perhaps as a means for Leonardo to vent his frustrations against his employers, who may have used some form of coercion to force him to complete the work.